5.3: Part III. Academic Procedures

Students do not usually enter college already knowing about school admissions, course enrollment, grading, probation, transfer, and other procedures. Fortunately, most colleges and universities follow fairly standard academic procedures for students, faculty, and administration. This section describes academic procedures commonly followed by the California Community College (CCC) system, the largest community college network in the U.S. with 116 colleges (link) https://www.cccco.edu . The CCCs are accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) (link) https://accjc.org . Some private institutions are not accredited and their degrees or certificates might not be recognized as official.

The best resources for most administrative procedures are the college catalog, a student handbook, and your academic adviser or counselor.

Course selection and enrollment. One of your first steps will be to decide which courses you will take and when (which term) you will take them. Counselors are indispensable in this process. They are familiar with the requirements for each program the college offers, including the required and elective courses for each. Get to know your counselor!

Class Participation and Attendance

Colleges have rules that address participation and attendance, rules that you might not think of—unless you violate them and have to pay the consequences. Here are a few of those rules.

Do not miss the first session of a class. Instructors may drop “no show” students from the course. Students who enroll in a course and then decide not to attend must drop the course officially to avoid receiving a failing (F) grade. Do not assume that an instructor will drop you automatically! It is your responsibility to drop or withdraw from the class if you choose not to complete it. The college sets “drop dates” for each course after which you cannot withdraw. Check your course details to see (a) the date by which you must withdraw to avoid having a “W” or “F” on your record and to receive a refund of the class fee; (b) a date by which you must withdraw to have a “W” rather than an “F” on your record.

Students whose class participation or attendance does not meet the minimum standards may be dropped or withdrawn from the class. To stay enrolled in a class, be sure to attend and participate in class, post or submit assignments before their due date, and maintain a minimum passing grade. For online classes, participate in discussions and reply to other students’ entries. This peer engagement is an important element of the online class learning experience. The college may drop students who have excessive absences, students who have not participated in the class by submitting assignments, or for any other cause as outlined in the college policies. Refer to your college course catalog or student handbook for details.

Dropping a Class*

*The examples used in this Module are from California Community College procedures. Local college procedures vary somewhat from one to the next, so verify these for your own school.

If you realize you will not be able to complete a class, follow one of the official options for exiting the class. Notify the instructor and send or deliver the appropriate form(s) to the admissions and records office (online or in person).

Students who decide to cancel their enrollment in a class before it starts may do so without penalty before the start date. “Without penalty” means without a notation on their transcript and with a refund of the course fee. In most cases, this can be done online. Similarly, students may drop without penalty by doing so by the deadline specified by the college. For example, drops without penalty at most CCCs must be completed prior to the census deadline (10% of the class length); for a ten-week class, a drop without penalty must be completed prior to the end of the first week (which is 10% of the ten weeks). The dropped class will not be listed on the student’s official transcript and will not affect the student’s grade point average (GPA). A dropped class may or may not impact a student’s financial aid package, depending on various factors specific to that student and the type of financial aid. The tuition fee paid at the time of enrollment will be refunded or kept as a credit for a future course.

Withdrawal from a Class

A later option to exit a course is to “Withdraw” from a class, which must be completed prior to the withdrawal deadline. For CCCs, the withdrawal deadline may be at 75% of the class length. For example, if the term is 10 weeks, the withdrawal deadline will be after 7.5 weeks are completed. Withdrawing from a class will result in a “W” grade listed on the official transcript; a “W” does not impact the student’s grade point average (GPA). A withdrawn class may or may not impact a student’s financial aid package, depending on various factors specific to that student and the type of financial aid. The course fee paid at the time of enrollment will not be refunded or kept as a credit for a future course.

Students who stop attending class but do not withdraw will earn an “F” or “FW” grade on the transcript. F is a failing grade that lowers the GPA and may also negatively affect the financial aid package. FW stands for “Failure to Withdraw” and means the student stopped attending class and/or stopped completing assignments prior to the class ending. The “FW” grade will also negatively impact a student’s GPA and result in a lower average overall. In addition, the FW may impact a student’s financial aid package, depending on various factors specific to that student.

If you are struggling with a class, do something about it! Do this:

• Attend class, ask questions, reach out to the instructor before or after class.
• Most instructors have “office hours” in person or by Zoom or other video conferencing tools. Attend the instructor’s office hours, if provided. Alternatively, contact the instructor to make an appointment to get assistance.
• Do not “ghost” the class or ignore the instructor if he or she reaches out to you.
• Be proactive in your own education and advocate for yourself!

Remember, every college offers many resources to help students succeed (see the next section).